The Great Exchange, a musical production by Calvary Church, was held at the Calvary Convention Centre, Bukit Jalil, for three consecutive nights over the Easter weekend. Drawing parallels between the stories of Abraham and Mary, this masterful production of The Great Exchange was a powerful depiction of what Jesus did on the cross, and the significance of His death and resurrection.
Just as God provided a ram in the thicket so that Abraham’s son, Isaac, did not have to become a burnt sacrifice, God also provided all of mankind with His own Son: Jesus—the Lamb that took our place as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Because Jesus died in our place and took upon Himself the sins of the entire world, we have hope and new life in Him today.
The musical began with an introduction to the characters of Abraham and Mary, followed by the account of Abraham and Isaac. Songs throughout the musical aided in the narration of the story, featuring guest artist, Pritta Kartika.
The focus then shifted to Mary, and her story of how she came to conceive Jesus was told. Fast forward thirty years, Jesus is shown at the peak of His ministry—healing people, casting out demons, teaching the Father’s will, and gaining a healthy following wherever He went.
“What Jesus did then, He is still doing today,” one of the narrators said. “He is still delivering those who are bound, and He is still offering healing in exchange for their sickness.” He then went on to introduce three individuals who shared their testimonies of how Jesus changed their lives.
Mr. Jerry Loon was involved with a gang, drug addiction, and crime during his youth. “Religion could not help me,” Mr. Loon said. “Then one day, at a Christian drug rehab center, I gave my broken life to Jesus, and in exchange, received His forgiveness. I was transformed. My life has never been the same again. God blessed me with a lovely wife and two wonderful sons who are in fact musicians in this very musical tonight!”
Mrs. Chow was stricken with cancer. Then, seven years ago, she was healed! “Jesus took the disease and gave me back my life, my health, joy, and peace.” she said. “I thank God that today, my husband and I, and our two children are actively serving in church and helping others to know this Jesus, the great healer.”
Mrs. Mekand Kaur was a businesswoman with everything she wanted, but she had no peace. Then one day, she was invited to go to church. “I gave my sins to Jesus—all my confusion, worries, and disappointments. In exchange, Jesus gave me His forgiveness, His peace, His joy, and His love. All glory be to God!”
“Indeed, no family upbringing, no religion, no amount of money, and no earthly relationship can give the human soul peace,” the narrators continued. “We can only find peace when we exchange our sins, guilt, and pain with the gift of God found in Jesus Christ who came as the Lamb of God.
“The greatest miracle of all is that we can experience Him personally and receive Him into our hearts. “Jesus is God’s demonstration of His love for you. The Bible says that while we were yet sinners, Jesus died for us. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, will not perish but have eternal life.
“We all have had a sinful nature since birth—a nature that seeks its own will. This nature separates us from God. The good that we want to do, we don’t do, and the bad that we don’t want to do, we do. Even when we do good, our mark of ‘goodness’ can never meet God’s measure of holiness.”
The musical then resumed with Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion. “Jesus was crucified on Good Friday. He shed His blood and gave up His life so that the penalty of our sins can be paid for. Every form of our sin, guilt, condemnation, can now be removed from our lives. Jesus was buried, and on the third day, He rose again.
“His resurrection validated all that He claimed to be: The Way—the only Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that no one comes to the Father except through Him. Because He is alive, our sins can be exchanged for Christ’s righteousness, and our death sentence for everlasting life. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus and in Jesus alone. This is the great exchange!
Rev. Tan Sri Prince Guneratnam, the Senior Pastor of Calvary Church then gave the audience the opportunity to respond to the Gospel message. “We have sinned against God in many different ways, and like anything else, disobedience has a penalty—crimes have penalties,” he said.
“The Bible tells us that we all have sinned, and God knew that there is no other way whereby you and I can find the forgiveness of sin, for the penalty of sin is death. And that’s why Jesus came: to pay the debt of sin that we have committed. We don’t worship a crucifix. We worship a risen Christ! Tonight, you can receive Him as your Savior.”
Rev. Guneratnam also called all who have strayed from the Lord to make a fresh commitment to Him. He led all who responded to the message in prayer, and prayed for healing over those who were sick. He also encouraged everyone to be involved with a church—whether it is Calvary Church or their own home church, he emphasized the importance of the local church in aiding spiritual growth.
The musical wrapped up with the grand finale that showed Jesus alive and walking around amongst the people. Pritta Kartika led a beautiful rendition of Natalie Grant’s Alive, before she was joined by Kobagize Dissa in a lively performance of Hillsong’s Jesus is Alive along with the rest of the cast. The night very appropriately concluded with Hillsong’s My Redeemer Lives! Its lyrics, “My shame He’s taken away/My pain He’s healed in His name,” highlighting once again, the message of The Great Exchange.
*The Great Exchange will be uploaded onto Calvary Church’s YouTube channel this week. Please share this wonderful message of salvation with your friends and family.
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Esperanza Ng
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